Loki Tayesus and the Curse of the Lycanthrope
by Ri-Ri Ray
Summary: Loki lives with her dad in the wilderness of Lancashire, but what will happen when Remus Lupin comes to visit this time round...please review werewolf heritage and magical beast galore!This is set the year before Harry Potter starts, just so u know :
1. The Lovely Mr Lupin

**Loki Tayesus** **and the** **Curse of the Lycanthrope** By Rion B.Martin

**- ****Chapter 1**** -**

**The Lovely Mr Lupin**

"Loki…"

_Loki was running through the tall grass. She could hear it behind her, crashing through the undergrowth. She tried to go faster but it was impossible, she was just running out of energy __so__ quickly. Finally, she tripped over the dismembered leg of a red deer and as she fell to the forest floor she twisted her ankle. She tried to sit up and she looked behind her. It was getting closer and closer, she could hear it's breathing and smell the rotting meat between its teeth. It emerged from the grass and looked straight at her with its tortured golden eyes. It snarled savagely and leapt at her, its red maw open wide, ready to rip out her throat. She closed her eyes and…_

"Loki…"

She sat bolt upright in her bed, her body drenched with sweat, her hair plastered to her head and the back of her neck. Her body heaved as she drew in great gulps of air. Gradually, she began to calm down and she looked at her bedroom walls, the three black and the bloodied red. She ran a hand through her hair and got out of bed. She straightened her pyjamas and walked over to the mirror.

"What happened to you," it said. "It looks like you've been out in a storm." It began to laugh violently and nearly fell off the wall. Loki pulled her tongue at it and made her way to the stairs.

As she got to the top step she sniffed the air and smiled. Her dad was cooking breakfast. She rushed down the two flights of stairs and opened the kitchen door. Her father was stood by the cooker, making sure the pan didn't overcook the bacon and eggs again. It was getting old and they really did need to get a new one.

Frank David Tayesus' brown hair was stood up all over the place as was usual in the morning and was wearing his maroon dressing gown which really should have been thrown away years ago because it was coming apart at the seams from overuse. He was a bit tall, just about six foot, and quite thin and his feet were encased in his blue slippers. He was quite a laid back gentleman but he was a bit agitated as he watched the pan because it had already ruined three other attempts at breakfast that morning.

"Why don't you just renew the charm on it or just buy a new one dad?"

Frank smiled broadly at his daughter who was still half asleep.

"I don't really know. I'd like to think that I'm quite enjoyin' this at the moment. It's almost like cookin' in Muggle-fashion." He laughed heartily. "'How'd you sleep by the way?"

Loki looked out of the window at the slopes of the valley they lived in. It was covered in woods with a border of rowan trees. She was trying to ignore the question and take her mind off the dream but she knew that there was no point because it never worked.

"I've got to say that I've definitely had better nights."

Frank looked concerned as he stepped towards his daughter and embraced her in a crushing hug.

"Do you want to talk about this one?"

Loki shook her head as she closed her eyes. She hugged her father tight and stepped back from him.

"Dad," she said sternly and nodded towards the cooker.

"Oh right, the bacon! Stop! Stop! That's more than enough now!" Frank ran over to the stove and, with a flick of his wand, made the pan do a somersault, throwing the bacon and eggs onto the two plates below. He sat down at the table and after a quick _Accio plates_, they were soon eating their breakfasts.

Halfway through the meal, there was a deafening roar outside which shook the foundations of the small house. Frank sat back as Loki threw her cutlery on the table, which proceeded to squeak in protest at being thrown around.

"Well it looks like Pulo's back, dad." Loki grinned as she got up to look out of the window to see if she could see him.

"So 'e's finally decided to turn up. It's a good job 'e 'as, because if I'd've 'ad the Ministry on my back because _he _likes to wander I'd've been but in Azkaban for the murder of an endangered magical being." He shook his head. "I still can't believe they put me in charge of a Scottish Ridgeback, I _never_ asked to be a Guardian of _that_ species. They did it on purpose I just know it. Right, Loki, if you want, you can feed 'im today. Get a carcass from the cellar an' make sure there's somethin' to chew on this time."

Loki finished her breakfast and walked over to the cellar door. She pushed it open and shivered as an icy breeze escaped from within. She climbed down the stairs and walked down the narrow path between the frozen carcasses, which hung from hooks in the ceiling. She chose a large deer carcass and by pushing it up she got it off the hook. She panted slightly at the effort because it was really heavy, any normal girl of her age would have struggled immensely trying to get the meat off the hook. She grabbed a bit at each side and dragged it back up the cellar stairs. She took it on a path through the kitchen and out of the back door.

Her dad's voice drifted after her. "Remember not to let 'im 'ave his way with you Loki, coz I might just decide to take a while in savin' you today."

With that in mind Loki dragged the meat on for a few more metres and dropped it in the grass. She looked up at the sky and watched as a dark shape circled lazily closer to the ground.

The dark shape soon took shape. It was a Scottish Ridgeback, as Frank had said, and it was a dragon. Pulo was 13 metres long with a 19-metre wingspan. His scales were a rusty red and along his spine ran a black ridge hence the name Ridgeback. He was originally a native of Scotland, like Frank, but had been relocated to England for protection. The sun's rays reflected off of his scales as he landed in front of the young girl.

They stood facing each other, looking deep into each other's eyes searching for a weakness. They stood so still that after a minute they started to resemble a couple of statues. Neither one of them looked away as both were determined to make the other crumble in defeat. As this went on, Frank, meanwhile, was leaning in the frame of the back door, on hand in case Pulo managed to dominate his daughter.

Soon enough Pulo snorted in disgust and looked at the ground. Loki grinned and dragged the meat closer to the Ridgeback. She dropped it near to his head and stepped back. When she had done this, Pulo set the meat on fire, and, after darting his snake-like neck forwards twice the carcass was gone.

Frank walked over to the pair, his dark hair swaying in the breeze. He stopped when he was in front of the Ridgeback and looked directly into the dragon's black eyes. As they looked into each other's eyes a conversation seemed to pass between them. Pulo swayed his head slowly from side to side and nodded. He closed his eyes cutting the connection and took off.

"Well that's finally taken care of. Come on Loki you'd better get dressed. Remus is comin' round today to check up on how you're doin'. See if you've got any symptoms."

"What? Already?"

"Aye. You didn't forget did you? He'll be so disappointed, 'e loves comin' round to catch up on things and to see how much you've grown. I think I'd better ask 'im to give you a kick up the arse as well, you're gettin' a bit too cocky with your sense of hearin' and smell. 'Ow can you say that your own father's cooking smells like rancid meat?" He shook his head. "Hurry up then or 'e'll be waitin' ages for you to get ready."

When they got in the house, Loki ran upstairs. She really enjoyed Remus' visits even though they were only once or twice a month. She showered quickly then ran to get dressed in her bedroom.

As she brushed her hair in the mirror she inspected her features. She was only 11 but her hair was naturally grey at the tips of her dark brown hair. Her eyes though were even more interesting than her hair. One eye was normal and was green like her mother's were, but her right eye was what really stood out. It was golden yellow like a wolf's. She sighed and set down the brush on the desk.

"All you ever do is moan," shrieked the mirror. "Why can't you be more cheerful?"

"Oh shut up. You're the one who moans all the time and that's all you'll _ever_ do." Loki turned her back on the mirror and opened her bedroom door.

Voices from downstairs drifted up to her carried by the draught coming through the open front door. Loki smiled, Remus had finally arrived. She crept down the stairs to the first floor landing and peeked round the corner. She smiled as she watched the light brown haired man talk to her father. He was still quite young but his hair was flecked with bits of grey. Loki could hardly contain herself any longer.

"Remus!" she cried and launched herself at him from the stairs. Remus looked up, in time to see the girl flying at him through the air. He laughed as he caught her.

"You're here! You're really here!" She buried her head into Remus' neck and nuzzled him like a cub.

"Hi Loki, it's always a pleasure to see you again." He smiled at the affection the child showed him. She'd always made him feel welcome, unlike her mother. They'd grown close over the years and she felt more like a sister to him than the daughter of his childhood friend.

"Come on you two, let's take this to the livin' room."

Loki beamed up at Remus as she took his hand and led him to the living room. Even though he'd been to the house many times and knew the way quite well, Remus always allowed her to lead him around, it seemed to strengthen their bond somehow. Remus let go of the girl's hand and sat in the armchair opposite Frank, whilst Loki sat on the floor and leaned on her father's legs. She smiled and closed her eyes as she listened to the conversation.

"So how was your journey this time?" 

Remus leaned back in his armchair. "It was fine but I keep underestimating how long it takes to get through those woods. I got on a Muggle train up here and flew the rest of the way on a broom I borrowed. I nearly got off at the wrong stop again. If I hadn't of spotted that stupid dragon you protect then who knows where I would've ended up. What was Pulo doing so far from the valley anyway?"

"He's been quite agitated lately and I don't really know why. It's not like we never 'ave enough food here for 'im. I guess I'll just 'ave to keep a closer eye on 'im just to make sure everythin's fine. The last thing I want to do is keep 'im chained up."

"No. That wouldn't be right. He seems in quite good health even though he's not in his natural habitat. What are you feeding him on?"

"Luckily, the Ministry found a big enough valley so 'e's got a big enough territory to roam and food wise 'e gets deer, cattle, sheep and occasionally the odd hippogriff carcass. We've got a pretty well-stocked herd of them up here still."

"Yeah I remember you showing them to me a few months back. Is the Ministry paying you enough now because last time you hardly had enough to get by on."

"Aye, they are now. When they realised how dangerous a job it is protecting a Ridgeback they gladly agreed to pay me more, especially when no one at the office would take up the job if I decided to resign." They both laughed. "They were hard times, it was even worse knowing that Cassi and her parents had left Loki a fortune but she has to wait for the letter from Gringotts saying she can open it. It should be 'ere soon though."

Remus nodded his head in agreement. He sighed and looked out of the window. He smiled at the sight of three owls flying towards the house.

"Frank, I think that letter will be coming sooner than you think."

Frank looked up and followed Remus' gaze to the window. He got up and opened it. Soon the three owls were lined up on the back of the sofa. By this time Loki had opened her eyes and was looking curiously at the owls.

The first owl was their own. He was a short-eared owl called Astok and he had a letter in his beak. He dropped it onto the small coffee table and flew to the dresser at the back of the room and began to preen. The second owl was a handsome barn owl and he carried a brown envelope. He flew to Frank's arm and handed him the envelope. Frank smiled.

"Loki, it's for you."

Loki's eyes opened wide in bewilderment. She retrieved the envelope and sat down next to the third owl on the sofa. She turned it round and on the other side in emerald-green ink was her name and address.

**Miss Loki Tayesus**

**Ridgeback House**

**Rowan Valley **

**Lancashire**

"I wonder who this is from."

Remus and Frank smiled knowingly on either side of her. She opened the letter and gasped as she read the contents out loud.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore **

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**

**Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Miss Tayesus,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of**

**Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and**

**equipment.**

**Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

**Yours sincerely**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

"No way! Dad is this real? I've really got in? But I'm sure that you didn't go to Hogwarts. You went to Estuards in Scotland."

"Aye, I did go to Estuards but your mother went to Hogwarts. She put you on their waiting list before you were even born. She couldn't wait to see you start there."

"I am going aren't I?"

Frank and Remus both laughed.

"Yep, you're goin' but you'd better write that reply because this lovely owl would like to go." Frank ran his finger along the back of the owl's head, which hooted happily.

As Loki ran to the dresser to get a quill, a bottle of ink and some parchment, Frank picked up the letter that Astok had dropped onto the table and read it. He grinned at the message inside. He'd been waiting all summer for that particular letter to finally arrive.

Loki ran back into the living room with a folded up parchment and handed it over to the barn owl.

"Thanks," she whispered to it and after taking it off her dad, she threw it out of the window wishing it a safe journey. Then she turned her attention on the third owl that had flown in. It was a small burrowing owl. It had a small package tied to its left leg. Loki untied it and read the address. It was for her again. Carefully, she opened it and inside was a key. A small piece of parchment slipped out of the packaging.

"Dad," Loki said hesitantly. "This says that the keys mine for vault six hundred and sixteen. It congratulates me on my inheritance and my acceptance to Hogwarts."

Frank hugged his daughter and kissed her head.

The little burrowing owl ruffled its feathers. It had made sure that the girl had the key and with a hoot of relief, took off through the open window.

"That's your inheritance off your mother and 'er parents. You were only allowed it if you got into Hogwarts. So don't go spendin' it all at once. There's a lot in there but you can never be too careful." He hugged her again. "An' don't lose the key because it's too much trouble to get a new one." He let Loki go and looked out of the window. "Shouldn't you two be gettin' on with your session now anyway?"

Remus pulled himself up from the armchair and nodded. He waited for Loki to put her letters and key on the dresser and they went out of the back door into the garden.

They walked in silence until they got to the ring of rowan trees, which bordered the woods. They entered and Remus started the usual questioning that came with the walks in the woods.

"How have you been feeling this month? No moon sickness?"

"Nothing really. I just feel the same. My senses are still better than my dad's so everything's normal."

"So no feelings of illness at all. Right. So you've never had any urges to go roaming at night? Not even a taste for raw meat occasionally?"

"Nope. None at all, not even when I've been allowed to feed Pulo."

"Okay, that's _very_ good… How about your dreams? How've they been affecting your sleep?"

"Well they've been getting more frequent and I had one last night."

"Go on."

"I was running away from her and I fell. Just before I woke up she was about to kill me. It was horrible. Her eyes showed that she felt tortured and in pain." Loki shuddered violently even though it was warm.

"So you know that it's your mother chasing you now then?"

"Yeah, dad told me more about her and how she died after you left last month. He told me that she'd been bitten by a werewolf about a year after they'd met. He told me she got pregnant with me after they got married but they were worried that I'd be born with the werewolf genes. He told me about when she died. How she'd been killed by one of the gryphons that used to live here." She looked ahead thoughtfully. "He said that I'd witnessed it all but I don't remember anything. He said he'd heard the fight and rushed out to find my mum's corpse, an injured griffon and me, covered in blood. I feel bad though because I don't even remember her that well. All I've got is a few pictures of her and her grave."

Remus ruffled her hair.

"Don't feel bad about it, you were too young anyway to remember much. I know you always suspected that she was a werewolf since I'm one myself and I always come to visit you every month. But remember that Cassi lives on through you.

"There aren't many people around who can say that one of their parents is a werewolf and even fewer that have been born from a female werewolf, so you're pretty unique. You've obviously inherited some of you're mum's qualities. You've got the grey tips of your hair, your heightened level of senses and your wolf eye from the wolf and your black hair and your green eye from her human side. She'd be so proud of you now."

Loki held back her tears. Remus always seemed to know the right things to say to her. She saw him as an older brother or an uncle because the two of them were so close. She sniffed a couple of times, looked up at him and smiled.

"You went to Hogwarts didn't you Remus."

"Yes… I did. It was years ago though. I was really lucky though because I'd been bitten while I was still a child. If Dumbledore hadn't been headmaster I seriously doubt that I would've been accepted. I met some good friends there…" He trailed off as his mind went back to his time at Hogwarts.

"Who were they?" Loki wanted all the information she could get because Remus rarely talked about his school days. Usually it was about the hardships of being a young werewolf and the struggles of his parents. Sometimes it was about how he dealt with it now and advice on how to deal with it if she changed.

"There was James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. They were my serious friends at Hogwarts, whilst I'd known your dad since we were kids. You know that James and Peter are dead don't you? And that Sirius is in Azkaban for killing Peter. I was scared they'd desert me when they found out but they were extremely understanding about it. They kept me out of a lot of trouble those three."

"How!?" Loki snorted. "That's not possible, you would've killed them and didn't you always tell me that werewolves were a danger to humans."

Remus laughed. "They were fine, thankfully. When they found out they thought the best solution was to learn how to become Animagi. It took them the best part of three years but by our fifth year they could change efficiently enough and would be in no danger when they were around me."

Loki's jaw dropped in amazement. "But how come they're not on the list? I know dad isn't, he did it in secret to keep an eye on mum. If the Ministry found out he'd be arrested." She rubbed the bridge of her nose thoughtfully. "What animals were they?"

"Well you answered the first question yourself but I'll answer your second one. Peter was a rat, James was a stag and Sirius was a dog, he was quite a big brute in that form." He smiled and whispered, "Wormtail, Prongs and Padfoot."

"I heard that. Dad does that sometimes as well he forgets that I can hear him sometimes. So what does that mean?"

"You don't miss a lot do you? Well Wormtail, Prongs and Padfoot were the nicknames we had, mine was Moony."

Loki laughed. She thought that Remus being called Moony was one of the funniest things she'd heard for awhile. She took hold of his hand.

"Come on Moony, we'd better get back we're quite a way in now."

Remus laughed now. He hadn't been called that name for a while and it was nice to hear it coming from Loki.

They turned round and silently made their way back to Ridgeback House. They walked slowly taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the woods. Both were glad of the others company despite the age gap. It was quite a rare thing to be with someone who had the same heightened level of senses to enjoy time with and some werewolves were extremely territorial. Remus had been told by Frank that he couldn't tell Loki about the reason why the griffon had killed Cassi. That was for him to decide.

An hour later the house was in sight. It looked like it would crumple easily in an earthquake. The ground and first floors were fine but as it came to the second and third floors it looked like it was going to fall over at any sign of a strong wind.

Loki ran ahead as they emerged from the belt of rowan trees. Remus watched her go, happy that the curse had allowed her to have a childhood, even though he wasn't sure if the curse was inherited.

When they got in Frank greeted them. He ruffled Loki's hair and hugged Remus like a brother. While they'd been gone Frank had cleaned the house and made lunch. On the kitchen table there was a spread of gammon, sausages, beef, three types of potatoes, peas, carrots, a jug of gravy, bread, butter and a bowl of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. Loki helped herself to a bit of everything, even a handful of the Every-Flavour Beans. As they ate Remus asked when they'd be going to Diagon Alley to buy Loki's things.

"I guess we'll go tomorrow. I've got some business up there anyway, so it'll be ideal."

"Why? Do you want to come with us Remus?" Loki asked as she threw some rind to Astok who was sat on his perch near the back door.

"No, but I'll have a surprise for you next month when I come to visit you. A congratulatory gift if you will."

"What is it? What is it Remus?"

"It's supposed to be a surprise and anyway I haven't decided yet."

Frank laughed. "Well you'll have to decide before you go because I don't want to end up gettin' 'er somethin' I shouldn't."

"Okay. I bet you can't wait to get your wand, can you Loki?"

"No. I can't wait to see what core I get. I don't really mind which one I get because they've all got their own awesome traits."

Remus smiled.

"So you've been brushing up on your knowledge of magical creatures then. Your dad did Care of Magical Creatures at Estuards didn't he? And he got some brilliant grades out of it. You should have gone to Hogwarts Frank, you were wasted at Estuards. It would've been a grand time with you with us as well."

"Well my parents both went to Estuards, as you already know so there was no doubt that I was going to get accepted there."

The talk went on for a few more hours and eventually moved into the living room. Soon it was time for Remus to leave. He hugged Loki tight and whispered into her ear that she should never forget who she was, then he stood back and ruffled her hair. He shook hands with Frank and hugged him.

"See you next month you two. And Loki, make sure your dad doesn't kill Pulo anytime soon, we don't want him rotting away in Azkaban anytime soon do we?"

With those parting words, Remus Lupin picked up the tattered broom next to the door and after a short delay he flew off into the night. Frank and Loki watched him until he was a speck in the distance.

Frank led his daughter into the house and shut the door behind them. The door clicked as it automatically locked itself.

"I guess you'd better get yourself somethin' to eat before you go to bed."

Loki ran to the kitchen as her father laid himself out on the sofa with a worn book about the lifecycle of hippogriffs. She grabbed a jar of strawberry and cream jam and made a sandwich. She took it the living room and watched her dad reading as she ate.

Loki loved living in Rowan Valley because it was one of the few places where magical creatures were welcome and protected. Once, when she was six, a herd of unicorn took up residence for a few months to rear their foals. She'd love sitting by the lake, watching the gold foals as they frolicked in the sun. Luckily, Pulo had shown no interest in them or else they wouldn't have returned to the valley in the years that passed.

Many species of magical creatures lived permanently in the valley. There were a herd of hippogriffs, some fresh water hippocampi living in the lake, two separate pairs of gryphons, a species of miniature dragons called English Whiptails and Pulo. There were many more but they were seen less than the others.

Loki finished her sandwich and got up. She brushed the breadcrumbs to the floor and kissed her dad goodnight.

"Goodnight dad. We really are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow aren't we because we haven't been for _ages._"

"We are, but I really wouldn't call two weeks ages kiddo. I'll get you up after I've fed Pulo tomorrow mornin'. Now get to bed."

Loki went to her room and after reading some more of The Anatomy and Behaviour of Hippocampi _by Alistus Lateran_, she curled up under the covers and cuddled her stuffed dog, Basil. She wished she could remember the human side of her mother instead of the vicious wolf side. She knew from Remus and from the numerous books she'd read that not all werewolves were savage but apparently her mother's wolf was the exact opposite of her human nature.

Loki took one last look at the picture of her mother. Cassi was waving at her from a mountainside. She winked at her daughter as she drifted into a deep sleep.


	2. Cerberus

**- ****Chapter 2**** -**

**Cerberus **

The next morning, Loki woke up to the sound of Pulo roaring at her father. She looked out of the window to see the Ridgeback hovering over the carcass of a cow. He was bellowing at Frank and seemed to be disgusted at something he may of suggested. Frank shouted something at the dragon and walked into the house. As soon as he'd closed the back door, Pulo torched the meat and dove on it. He picked it up with his talons and flew over the house, causing it to sway, to the southern side of the valley where Loki suspected he had a den.

Loki shook her head. She was used to the 'arguments' between the dragon and her dad, it was just a part of her life. Sometimes, though, it got out of hand. Once, Pulo had been so enraged that he'd picked Frank up in his jaws and had thrown him off the roof of the house. Luckily, he'd only broken his leg, which he'd mended himself.

Picking up her towel, Loki went to the bathroom and showered. When she'd finished she went back to her room she picked out the clothes she was going to wear. She chose her 'The Weird Sisters' T-shirt, a pair of black pants and some blue converse. She thought about wearing her wristband that contained a Concealment charm to make her eyes and hair look normal but decided against it. Instead she picked up a pewter chain and put it in her pocket. Finally, she brushed her teeth and ran downstairs.

Loki went to the kitchen and grabbed the loaf of bread on the table. She told the knife to cut the bread and set it to toast under the grill. She was eating her toast when her dad wandered into the kitchen. She watched him as he rummaged through the cabinets. He wasn't muttering because he knew that Loki would be able to hear him anyway. Soon he took his search to the living.

Loki finished her breakfast and followed him but he'd already moved on. She took the Gringotts key off the coffee table and carefully took out the pewter chain from her pocket. She put the key on the chain, put it round her neck and tucked it under her T-shirt.

Frank came through the living room door with a grin on his face and picked up the equipment list from Hogwarts. He unfolded it and skimmed through it. When he'd finished, he nodded and threw it to Loki. She caught it in mid-air and read:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY **

**Uniform**

**First year students will require:**

**Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

**One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags **

**Set Books**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) **_**by Miranda Goshawk**_

**A History of Magic **_**by Bathilda Bagshot**_

**Magical Theory **_**by Adalbert Waffling**_

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration **_**by Emeric Switch**_

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi **_**by Phyllida Spare**_

**Magical Drafts and Potions **_**by Arsenius Jigger**_

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them **_**by Newt Scamander**_

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection **_**by Quentin Trimble**_

**Other Equipment**

**1 wand**

**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**1 set glass or crystal phials**

**1 telescope**

**1 set brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT**

**ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

Loki folded up the parchment and put it in the back pocket of her pants.

"Come on get the vase down. Off we go to Diagon Alley to get your school stuff. Plus, I've got an appointment to get to when we're done."

Loki gingerly picked up the blue vase full of glittering powder off the mantelpiece over the fireplace and placed it on the coffee table.

When she'd been younger, Loki had accidentally dropped the Floo powder all over herself. Everytime she'd sneezed she'd ended up in someone else's fireplace until finally a kindly old witch removed her from her fireplace, cleaned her up and gave her some Floo powder for the journey home with four or five Cauldron Cakes for luck.

"_Incendio_!" said Frank as he pointed his wand at the fireplace.

Flames shot out of the coals at the base of the fireplace. Loki stepped forward with a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the flames, which caused them to turn an emerald-green and shoot higher up the chimney. Loki stepped into the fire and said "Diagon Alley!" She started spinning round and round. Blurred fireplaces rushed passed her as she span until finally she stopped.

People walked past Loki as she walked out of the fireplace without paying her any attention. She looked at all the books around her and turned to the fireplace.

Soon her father stepped out into the shop looking a little more dishevelled than usual. He shook his head and looked round.

"Ah! We're in Flourish and Blotts aren't we? I knew we'd eventually come out 'ere at some point. We haven't ended up 'ere for a few months." He ran a hand through his hair and linked arms with his daughter. He briskly led her out of the shop.

"I think we'd better go to Gringotts first and get you some money out."

They weaved through the other witches and wizards that were out shopping and Frank had to drag Loki away from the window of the apothecaries who were having a sale on 'Ready-to-Grind Dragon's Molars'. They soon came to the snowy-white bank, which towered over the other shops.

As Loki and Frank walked up the white steps of Gringotts bank, Frank handed the goblin on guard duty a silver sickle. He did it every time they went. The goblin grinned at them as they passed through the bronze doors.

They'd hardly stepped through the doors when they started to chant. It was their little tradition everytime they went to the bank. They were chanting what was engraved on the silver doors ahead of them. It went like this:

**Enter stranger, but take heed**

**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**

**For those who take but do not earn,**

**Must pay most dearly in their turn,**

**So if you seek beneath our floors,**

**A treasure that was never yours,**

**Thief, you have been warned, beware**

**Of finding more than treasure there.**

People stared at them as they went past and shook their heads, and children laughed at them and pointed. The two goblins that stood at the silver smiled as they went through. They stepped out into a huge marble hall. They ignored all the other goblins that were busy with their jobs and went to the counter.

"Can I help you sir and madam?" a free goblin asked.

"Aye, you can my good goblin," said Frank cheerfully. "We've come to get some money out of my account and also out of my daughter's."

"Names, please."

"Frank and Loki Tayesus. My daughter only just inherited her mother's vault yesterday."

"Have you both got your keys?"

"Aye." Frank took his key out of his pocket and Loki took the chain from around her neck, which she handed to her dad who gave them both to the goblin.

The goblin inspected the two gold keys.

"That's fine Mister Tayesus. Now if you'll both just wait a second," he turned round and shouted to one of the goblins behind the counter. "Dustweight, get over here and take these people down to the vaults."

Dustweight took the two keys off the goblin behind the counter and beckoned for Frank and Loki to follow him. He led them back across the hall and out of one of the many doors leading off it.

They came out into a narrow passage lit by torches that disappeared steeply into the darkness. A set of railway tracks ran down the passage following it along.

"Vault numbers please," Dustweight asked them.

"Seven hundred and two and I think the other one was six hundred and…" Frank tapered off.

"Sixteen," Loki finished for him.

"Right." Dustweight put his fingers to his lips and whistled. Seconds later a cart came rushing towards them and stopped beside them. They climbed in and the cart took off down the tracks.

Loki revelled in the feeling of having the cold air rushing past them. It's what she loved best about Gringotts. In the corner of her eye she could see the goblin looking at her curiously. He slowly lifted up his arm but thought better of it and put it back down. She thought that the goblin wanted to ask about her eye. She leaned over the side of the cart as they passed over the underground lake. She was hoping to see one of the dragons that supposedly guarded some of the high-security vaults.

Soon the cart stopped by a door in the passage wall. They all got out and Dustweight unlocked the door with Loki's key. Red smoke billowed out and Loki stepped forward. Her eyes lit up as she saw the fortune laid out in front of her.

"How come they never left you any dad?"

"It was supposed to all be for you if anythin' 'appened to Cassi. And I doubt very much that Mr and Mrs Beorne were happy that your mother had married me. I can't for the life of me remember why."

Loki laughed scornfully. She knew exactly why. Her mum's sister, Germaine, had told her the whole story.

Frank rummaged in the inside pocket of his jacket and threw a small sack to his daughter. She caught it and started to gather up some of the coins, making sure she had enough for the rest of the summer and the school year to come. When she came out, Dustweight locked the door and gave her back her key.

They all got back into the cart and stopped at vault seven hundred and two. Frank scooped some money into a separate sack and, after Dustweight retuned his key, the cart took them back to the bank's main building. They bade farewell to Dustweight and thanked him for his service. They walked out of the bank and back into Diagon Alley.

"Where do you think we should go first Little Lupe?"

Loki looked around and decided that they should get her cauldron first. Then they went to get her a pewter telescope, some crystal phials (they were hardier than glass) and the brass scales. Then they split up.

Frank went to the apothecary to get Loki some basic potions ingredients while Loki went to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions on her own. She grimaced as she read the sign and entered.

Madame Malkin greeted Loki herself. She was a squat witch and today she was dressed all in scarlet.

Loki didn't like it at Madame Malkin's. When she'd been younger, she'd fidgeted so much that the assistant that was pinning up the dress robes stabbed her with one of the pins, _hard_.

"Ah yes, you're for Hogwarts, aren't you dear? It almost always is at this time of year."

Loki nodded in agreement and Madame Malkin led her off into the back of the shop. She ushered the girl onto one of the footstools and disappeared into another section of the shop. She returned with a long black robe and slipped it over Loki's head. She began to pin it up as Loki stood as still as she could, terrified of the incident happening again.

"Relax young lady. I'm not going to stab you." Madame Malkin chuckled at her little joke.

Loki forced out a smile but she looked more sinister than happy.

Minutes later, Madame Malkin had finished three sets of work robes, a winter cloak and had measured her charge's head for a hat. She was working on the dragon hide gloves when Frank walked into the shop carrying his daughter's cauldron, full of school equipment.

"Good afternoon Madame Malkin! She hasn't been fidgetin' has she because I'm hoping to whisk her off to Ollivanders next without injury."

"She's been fine Mr. Tayesus. I'll just finish these gloves and you can both be off."

Frank sat down as Madame Malkin put the finishing touches to the gloves. When she was finished she put them on top of the neatly folded pile of robes and handed them to Loki. Loki paid and thanked her for the robes and she followed her father back out into Diagon Alley.

"That wasn't funny dad. And are you sure that Pulo won't mind that the gloves are made out of dragon hide?"

"Well he shouldn't be, I'd think that 'e'd be more honoured that humans have finally recognised how superior dragons are to them." They laughed. "That reminds me, I got your ticket for the Hogwart's Express as well."

"Okay, thanks dad."

Soon they were stood outside a narrow shop. Loki read the gold letters above the door- _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382BC-_ and grinned.

As they walked in a bell rang in the depths of the shop. It was small inside and was home to thousands of narrow boxes and a single chair which Frank sat in with the cauldron next to him leaving Loki stood on her own in the middle of the shop. Her skin crawled with anticipation and she soaked up the magic in the air.

"Hello madam… sir," said a soft voice. An old man stood before them. His silver eyes seemed to glow in the gloom of the shop. He looked at Loki and looked hard at her face. "Unusual, very unusual," he muttered to himself. "It's very rarely that I get to meet someone of such… interesting parentage."

"It's nice to meet you too Mr Ollivander," Loki said slowly. "My name's Loki Tayesus. I-I've come to get a wand."

"I know who you are child, I recognised your father in the corner there." Frank waved to Mr Ollivander who smiled. "I remember when you came in," he said now speaking to Loki's father. "It took me quite a while to find the wand for you. They were quite difficult with you that day. Let me see it was thirteen inches long, rowan, quite sturdy with a unicorn hair core wasn't it."

"Nothing escapes from your memory does it Mr Ollivander."

Mr Ollivander chuckled. "No, no, not much, not much at all. It's a shame what happened to your wife though. She was a lovely witch. So kind-hearted and carefree." He shook his head sadly. "I remember when she came in as well. She had a smile on her face that would have warmed the hardest of hearts. She ended up leaving with a willow, eleven inches, supple with a phoenix feather. Unfortunately for her she will never rise from her ashes like the phoenix that gave its feather for that wand.

"Well we can't stand here all day. We'll need to find your match before this afternoon is through." He clapped his hands together and picked up a measuring tape with silver markings running down its length. He proceeded to measure Loki from her shoulder to her finger. He then moved away, leaving the tape measure to carry on on its own.

Mr Ollivander moved towards the boxes and carefully chose a box from the bottom of one of the piles. He walked back to Loki and the tape measure folded itself up and deposited itself back into Mr Ollivander's pocket.

"I presume that you are right handed like your mother and father, so you need to give it a wave but remember that it's the wand that chooses the witch or wizard, _not_ the other way round." He opened the box and handed Loki the wand.

Loki looked down at the wand, it felt warm between her fingers, and gave it a wave. She looked on in amazement as it emitted a blast of red and black sparks.

"Ha! I knew it as soon as you came in that that was the one for you! Well there you go Loki, twelve and a third inches, blackthorn, _very _subtle with a dragon's heartstring. You are a rare being and it's not always the case that the right wand finds the right witch or wizard that quickly. Look after it well Miss Tayesus."

Loki paid the seven Galleons for the wand and followed her father out of the shop. Frank hugged her and congratulated her on her new wand.

"I think that this is the right time to stop at Fortescue's and have a small celebration."

Loki smiled and led the way. Soon they were sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour eating strawberry and carrot cake flavoured ice creams. Loki hadn't enjoyed herself so much since she'd been at her friends house and had helped trick their little brother into thinking that trying to go down a gnome hole was a good idea.

Suddenly, Frank got up.

"I'll be back in a few minutes Loki, I've still got that appointment." He kissed her forehead and headed off towards _Magical Menagerie._

Loki felt uncomfortable when he left. A group of young witches were sat in the corner and kept pointing at her and whispering. She started to listen in on their conversation.

"… Look at her eye though, it can't be real can it?" one of them said.

"I don't know Estelle."

"You never know she might not be entirely human. Her mother could be some sort of monster for all we know." They all started to laugh.

"Her dad looks quite handsome though. I really couldn't see _him_ going out with a monster. It just wouldn't be fair for us eligible young witches."

The one named Estelle but her arms round her shoulders and mimed that she was kissing someone. "Kiss me quick Mr Charming," she said and started to make crude kissing noises.

Loki could feel her ears burning as they started to go red.

"Estelle!" one of them gasped. "Don't do that! Someone might overhear us and we don't want that _girl_ looking over at us."

Loki was fuming. She got out of her chair and picked up what was left of her and her Frank's ice creams. She slowly walked over to the group, making out like she was going back to the counter. When she got to the girl's table she lifted the bowls over her head and threw the contents over them. They screamed in shock as the ice cold liquid landed on them.

"That's for insulting my parents, you squibs." She smirked at them and growled quietly, deep within her throat.

Mr Fortescue ran from behind the counter.

"What's going on here ladies?"

"That girl just walked over here and threw her ice cream over us for no reason," cried one of the girls.

"I had a reason!" Loki yelled. "You were insulting me and my family! I heard you! You called my mum a monster and you don't even know who she is!"

By this time they'd gathered quite a small crowd and everyone in the parlour was watching, enjoying the scene.

"How could you have heard us, you were at the other end of the room!"

"Oh, so you admit to insulting this young lady," said Mr Fortescue. "I think you all owe her an apology."

The girls muttered an apology. They got up and after gathering their things they left the ice cream parlour.

"I'm sorry about that Mr Fortescue but I couldn't help it. I just couldn't let them get away with it."

"There's no harm done," he replied. "You're Tayesus' daughter aren't you?" Loki nodded. "Well then, it's nice to meet you properly." He held out his hand.

Loki tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear and shook his hand. "I'm Loki."

Mr Fortescue chuckled. "Ah, so they named you after the Norse god of fire and mischief did they? Well I certainly hope you don't live up to the legends of your namesake." He laughed even harder, his face quickly turning red with merriment. Gradually, he started to calm down and beckoned for Loki to sit. "I congratulate you on your courage but please don't start upsetting my customers. I think it would be best if you sat down and _quietly_ waited for your father to come back."

Loki nodded and, after thanking Mr Fortescue, she went back to her table to wait for Frank to return.

Frank returned ten minutes later carrying a large wicker basket under his arm. Loki was curious but knew better than to ask, she'd find out eventually.

"Where'd all the ice cream go?"

Loki smiled guiltily. "Erm… I ate it all?"

"All of it? Wow, you _must've_ been hungry." He adjusted the wicker basket under his arm. "Come on and get your stuff. We've still got to get your books before we go."

Loki picked up the heavily laden cauldron and followed her father back to Flourish and Blotts. They bought the eight books on the list and a few extras. When she took out her pouch to pay, Frank told her to put her money away and paid for them himself. He seemed to be in quite a fine mood.

After squeezing the books into her cauldron, they went back to the fireplace at the back of the store. Luckily, there wasn't a queue and they walked straight to the fire that roared in the fireplace.

"After you my dear," said Frank cheerfully.

Loki took a pinch of Floo powder out of the jar and threw them onto the flames. They turned emerald-green as always. She manoeuvred the cauldron into the flames and stepped in after it and said "Ridgeback House". She felt the familiar sensation as she was whisked into the vortex. She felt light-headed as she stepped out of her own fireplace into the living room. She dragged the cauldron out after her and flopped down on one of the armchairs.

In a flash of blue flames, Frank stepped out of the fireplace. He was smiling broadly and his eyes sparked with a new found mischief. He set the wicker basket on the worn-out armchair opposite Loki. His daughter looked over at him, her head cocked slightly to one side.

"Wait 'til you see this, Loki. It's fantastic! Brilliant! Just absolutely outstandin'!" he absent-mindedly started to scratch the back of his head. "I've been waitin' _so long_ for this to _finally_ happen" He let out a manic laugh. "Go on Loki. Open it."

Loki cautiously got up. If she had been anyone other than herself, she'd have thought that Frank Tayesus had finally snapped and gone mad. She walked over to the basket on the maroon armchair. She could hear something breathing softly inside. Slowly, she reached out and undid the latch on the basket door, which slowly swung open.

Peering into the interior of the basket, Loki could make out a furry body within which rose up everytime it took a breath. She sniffed it to try and process its scent. It smelt of milk, old bedding and… dog. Loki shook her head a little to disperse the smell.

"You got us a dog?" she asked uncertainly.

Frank prodded the sleeping animal to wake it up. "Not just any type of canine. I got us this."

They listened to the animal as it yawned twice in quick concession. It backed out of the basket, its chubby black and brindle hindquarters on show, and its thick little tail wagging leisurely. Loki gasped. The front of its body was now on display. It turned around and yelped at the sight of the two humans.

The animal had three heads. All had pointed ears although the left head's left ear flopped over to the side making it look ridiculous. All three of its noses twitched and quivered as it scented the air. The eyes on each head were a different colour, the right had brown eyes, the middle had yellow eyes and the left had blue.

"Dad! What the hell possessed you to buy it?" Loki shouted, making the young pup jump in surprise.

"Aww, don't insult 'im, he's gorgeous."

"Fine, I admit that he is quite cute," she said, her face cracking into a warm smile. "But why didn't you just get a normal one, like Dusk?"

Dusk had been the family husky when Loki had been younger.

"I wanted a challenge," said Frank simply. He was now fondling the ears of the left and right heads of the pup.

Loki sighed. Having a puppy was hard work but a three headed one the size of a small border collie, now _that_ was asking for trouble. Despite acting angry with her dad, Loki was actually ecstatic. A new 'partner' was exactly what her dad needed now she was to start at Hogwarts. She was just disappointed that she wouldn't be there the whole time to watch it grow from the cuddly puppy it was now to the impressive beast it would become.

"What are you calling him dad?"

"Cerberus," he said proudly. "After the most well-known and feared three headed dog in history."

"He doesn't look very fear-inspiring at the moment, he looks more… aww-look-how-cute-inspiring."

Frank laughed. "I've got to agree with you there, Little Lupe."

"Do you have to call me that all the time? I'm not a full werewolf. I'm half, if you can remember that."

"I don't care." He pulled her towards him so he was behind her and put his arms around her shoulders. "No matter what, you're my Little Lupe, whether you're half or full. And you'll always be my mine, even though you're partly Cassi's as well, but I'm sure we can get around that..." He kissed the back of her head while Cerberus pawed at their legs for attention. "Come on, let's take little Cerberus outside to meet everyone."

Frank picked up the pup and walked through to the kitchen with Loki following closely. He set it down on the floor and opened the back door. Natural light poured in and the middle head yelped with excitement. It walked to the open door, all three noses twitching as it sniffed all the new fragrances of this new world. It stopped by the back door, not knowing whether to walk out or to stay inside the safety of the house. Before it could choose either, Frank stuck out his foot and firmly nudged it outside.

Cerberus tumbled out of the door and onto the stone path outside. He lay where he stopped, slightly stunned and looked around. Frank and Loki stepped out on either side of him to reassure him. He dragged himself up and took off, his feet sliding out from underneath his body.

Loki laughed at him as he walked. She loved it when dogs were young because they always walked as if they were unsure of what their limbs were for and what they did. They always seemed to be so surprised when they fell over as well but they'd nearly always get up and try again.

As the pup wandered ahead, Frank and Loki followed on behind. Frank was grinning like a kid who's Christmas had come early while Loki was shaking her head in disbelief.

Soon the trio came to the edge of Past Lake, when, suddenly, Frank ran ahead of his daughter and tackled Cerberus who yelped in surprise. They rolled over and over, each of Cerberus' heads trying to nip Frank to let them go. When Cerberus' right head finally got a hold of Frank's hand it bit down, hard, making Frank yell out loud.

Loki laughed, her whole body finally relaxing as she did so. She watched her father and his new companion wrestling on the banks of the lake and thought that nothing could be any better than this.


End file.
